Peripheral Vision
by T'Reilani
Summary: An invisible ally has been helping the Autobots...and it's not Mirage. What secrets has the former noble been hiding? OC.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a new fic based off of my interest in Mirage and his past! I hope you enjoy it! Constructive criticism is very welcome, because I've never written G1 before.**

**Warnings for the story: **Violence, angst, and possible eventual OC/I'm-not-telling (not Mirage).

**Warnings for this chapter: **Mild violence.

_**Peripheral Vision**_

_**A Transformers Generation 1 fanfiction**_

* * *

_A building crashes down just a few meters from the two younglings, sending rubble flying toward them. The mech instinctively pushes the smaller femme behind him, yelping as a shard of metal scrapes through his blue and white paint. The femme screams as another explosion rocks the ground, and another tower starts to topple toward them._

"_Run, Tika!" The mech grabs his sister's arm, pulling her away from the falling building. "We have to get out of here!"_

_Tika whimpers, clutching at her brother. "What about our creators? Where are they? And Windrazor?"_

_The mech winces. How does he tell her what he saw? The crushed frames of their creators, pinned under the rubble…the pink remnants of their sister, shattered by a bomb…_

"_Raj?" Tika's hands are trembling uncontrollably and she lets out a wail as the images transfer across their shared spark. "No!"_

"_It'll be okay…" Raj struggles to comfort his sister, as she buries her face in his shoulder. "We've still got each other... "_

_Tika pulls away, starting back toward what had once been their home. "They've got to be okay! They have to be!"_

"_NO!" Raj grabs at her, hearing another Seeker thundering overhead, but he misses, as the bomb thunders down toward them. "Tika! WAIT!" But it is already too late…the explosion smashes into the ground between them…a scream tears through the air and is drowned out by the explosion…pain shoots through his spark chamber…_

"_TIKA!..."_

Mirage's optics snapped open as he sat bolt upright, vents working frantically to cool his systems. The pain echoed through his spark chamber, just a shadow of what it had been once, but still present, as always.

"Mirage! Hey, you okay?"

The blue and white spy spun around, already braced for an attack, but relaxed when he saw it was Jazz. The Special Ops commander was looking at him with a mixture of concern and sympathy.

"Another nightmare?"

"Yeah." Mirage lay back down, staring at the ceiling. "That's all it was. Just a bad dream."

But his processor wouldn't let him believe it.

_I haven't dreamed about her in solar cycles. I thought I had moved on from losing my twin. No one even knows about her._

_Why now?_

* * *

The small yellow Volkswagen Bug made its way down a narrow dirt road, apparently driving itself. The only human inside was sitting in the passenger's seat, and chattering away.

"..So I called and told Carly that we could still hang out, but we'd have to do it at the base because of the increased Decepticon activity. She's fine with that, you know how much she likes the Autobots, and…what's wrong, Bumblebee?"

"Look ahead, Spike. It's Starscream!" Bumblebee skidded to a halt. "And I think he saw us!"

Spike hopped out of the opened door. "What should we do?"

Bumblebee transformed, looking up at the red and blue jet speeding back their way. "You'd better call Optimus Prime and the others. I'll try to distract him."

Starscream transformed in mid-air and landed in front of them with an earth-shaking thud. "Well, if it isn't an Autobot and one of their human pets."

"Spike, run!" Bumblebee sprinted toward Starscream, only to be caught in mid-attack and hurled to the side. The Seeker ignored the small Autobot, stalking toward the human.

"Autobot base, we need backup!" Spike frantically tried to back away from the Decepticon. "Hurry!"

Just before Starscream could grab the human, he stumbled and whirled around, swatting at something behind his legs. "What the slag?"

"Go Mirage!" Spike cheered, as Starscream staggered backward under the invisible attack. "Bumblebee, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Bumblebee picked himself up and watched Starscream take off. "Thanks, Mirage!"

At the lack of response, he stared toward the footprints. "Hey, you can turn it off now!"

The sound of an engine rumbled in the distance, and Bumblebee shrugged. "That's weird. Guess he didn't feel like talking."

Hound and Trailbreaker skidded to a halt beside them. "Hey, where's Starscream?"

"He's gone." Spike grinned. "Mirage showed up and chased him off."

The two scouts exchanged looks before Trailbreaker spoke. "Um, guys? Mirage is confined to base. It's medical check-up day and Ratchet didn't want to lose him."

"What?" Bumblebee blinked in confusion. "But we just saw him. Well, no, we didn't, actually, but who else has a cloaking generator?"

Hound shook his head. "Can't be. I saw him just before we got the call for backup. Either he's the fastest mech in existence, or you were mistaken."

**Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER THAT I FORGOT LAST CHAPTER: I do not own Transformers G1! Or Transformers anything else! Except a few toys. **

**Warnings for the story: **Violence, angst, and possible eventual OC/I'm-not-telling (not Mirage).

**Warnings for this chapter: **A character with some creepy thought processes.

_**Peripheral Vision**_

_**Chapter 2**_

Emerald green optics narrowed, watching Starscream disappear into the clouds. _Still a coward, Seeker? Of course you are. It runs in your CNA. But cowardice never saved the others, and it won't save you. You are mine and you are dead. It's only a matter of time. _

Silent as a shadow and even less visible, the Hunter transformed and glided along the ground, following the jet's trail in the sky. An alien engine hummed with amusement. _Yes, fly, murderer. Fly while you can. Not long now._

* * *

"I know it sounds crazy, Optimus, but that's what happened!" Bumblebee gestured frantically. "One minute Screamer's about to send both of us to the Pit, next minute he's losing to an invisible enemy! And Mirage is the only Autobot who can disappear."

"You may be correct, Bumblebee, but let's not jump to conclusions." Optimus shook his head, looking at the image of Mirage on the medbay monitor feed. "Isn't it possible this is a Decepticon with a grudge against Starscream? Or another Autobot who for some reason, chose not to reveal himself to us?"

"But why wouldn't they?" Sparkplug Witwicky looked up at Optimus. "You're the Autobot leader. Aren't they supposed to report to you?"

Optimus turned away from the monitors. "Yes, technically. But Autobots were not the only ones on Cybertron; and there may be some who are not Decepticons, but won't answer to me."

"Optimus, are you talking about a renegade?" Prowl's optics narrowed in thought. "A 'bot who answers to _no one_?"

At Optimus's nod, Jazz jumped in with his own comment. "We might have a problem, then."

"Why?" Spike shrugged, puzzled. "I mean, it's one more fighter against the Decepticons! That's gotta be a good thing!"

"Yes…" Prowl arched an optic ridge. "But this renegade doesn't answer to us, we know nothing of his motivations…what if he would kill both Autobots _and_ Decepticons, and Starscream was simply a better target?"

"Exactly!" Red Alert snapped. "With the ability to disappear, this one mech could very easily pick quite a few of us off before we could neutralize him."

The Prime turned to study the monitors again. "Correct. Prowl, I want all patrols to take full precautions. Also, I want to be sure this is not actually Mirage; keep him under watch, Jazz. Without letting him know, if possible. Red Alert, increase security to watch for this mech, visible or otherwise. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" The designated 'bots left, making their way to their workstations to obey orders.

Sideswipe removed the audio piece, grinning across the small room at his twin. "Told you tapping that room would pay off someday."

"Huh." Sunstreaker sat up on one elbow, yawning. "Can't see that it has now. So there's an invisible 'bot out there; so what? Prob'ly just Mirage doing a little unauthorized patrol."

"No way. That kinda stuff doesn't happen around here."

The gold twin frowned. "Yes it does. We do it."

"You know what I mean!" Sideswipe flung a datapad in the general direction of his brother's berth. "Mirage doesn't do that stuff. I think it's time we found out who does."

Sunstreaker let his head drop with a groan. "Why do I have a bad feeling about what you're going to say next?"

* * *

Starscream must still be unaware of his tracker; he had made no attempts to cover his trail. The Hunter would have smiled in robot mode. _Stupid as well as cowardly. All the better for me later._

Still completely invisible, the sleek alien car hummed across the wide field, grass rustling under the repulsors. _This planet makes you easy to track, Seeker. So easy. By sundown, you will never harm another innocent. Never._

* * *

Sunstreaker angrily skidded to a halt. "Sideswipe! Are you out of your processor?"

"What?" His red twin circled around him before parking. "This is where Bumblebee and Spike ran into Starscream!"

"Not that!" Sunstreaker transformed with a clatter. "You're trying to find clues to an invisible renegade. **Why?**"

Sideswipe did the same and shrugged. "Well, it's not like we have anything better to do today. And why not? We might find a new ally. Then we'd be heroes."

"Uh-huh. Or a new enemy." Sunstreaker rubbed his forehead with a sigh. "Has it occurred to you that this isn't the safest idea?"

"What's fun about safe?" Sideswipe transformed and took off, calling back. "Come on, Screamer went this way! We catch him, and maybe we find out something. Besides, come on – jet judo practice!"

Sunstreaker groaned yet again as he followed. "Remind me again why I'm listening to you?"

"Because I'm your brother and you love me?" Sideswipe shot back teasingly. Sunstreaker sped past him, _almost_ scraping his tires.

"No. Because I'm bored and I don't have anything else to do. But I **promise** you, Sides, the minute something else comes up, I'm outta here!"

**Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers G1! Or Transformers anything else! Except a few toys. I do own the OC that is sort-of introduced here.**

**Also, there's a picture of her on DeviantArt! Look on my profile for the link! **

**Warnings for the story: **Violence, angst, and possible eventual OC/I'm-not-telling (not Mirage).

**Warnings for this chapter: **Violence (against a Con) and the same creepy character.

_**Peripheral Vision**_

_**Chapter 3**_

Starscream suddenly changed trajectory, diving downward and swerving. The Hunter kept pace with him easily. _Hmm. Catch on at last, did you? It's about time. _Engine purring happily, the invisible tracker increased speed. The action would put more of a drain on the invisibility field, but it wouldn't be needed much longer.

_You will see me soon, murderer. You will know who killed you and why. _An almost inaudible laugh stirred the air. _At least, you will know my face. You don't need my name. It would mean nothing to you, unless you learn the names of those you slaughter. _

* * *

"Sideswipe, this is pointless! You're never going to find someone invisible!"

"Just watch!" Sideswipe called back. "He probably followed Starscream, so we follow the jet, we find the mystery 'bot. Easy."

Sunstreaker groaned. His processor hurt. "You have no possible way of knowing that. You're just guessing!"

"So what?"

"I'm not talking to you."

"Surrrre, Sunshine." Sideswipe hit the brakes just enough to make his brother yelp and swerve.

"HEY!"

* * *

Starscream transformed in mid-air and landed on his feet. "Who dares follow me? Show yourself!"

A second later, he was struck by something he couldn't see, and stumbled to his knees. "What the – " His curse was cut off by another blow that flung him onto his back. Someone landed on his chestplates, hard enough to draw a gasp, and a second later his arms were pinned to his sides. "Get OFF me!"

_No._ The answer was as clear as if it had been spoken out loud; something shimmered, and he found himself staring into ice-cold green optics. A soft whisper chilled every circuit in his body. "Time to face the music, Seeker. You'll never take to the sky again."

Desperately, he twisted in an effort to throw his attacker off, wings flailing, only to feel a sharp pain drive into one sensitive wing panel. Above him, the Hunter _almost_ smiled. "Now look. You made me miss. Is that your way of telling me you want to do this slowly?" The razor-sharp knife ripped free, drawing an agonized scream.

* * *

At the sound, Sideswipe pulled alongside his brother. "Was that Starscream?"

"I think so." Sunstreaker's wince was visible even in vehicle mode. "I think your mystery 'bot caught up with him…and now I _really_ think we should get out of here."

"Ha! Scared?"

"No. Sensible."

"Whoa, look out!" Both twins skidded to a halt, transforming to stare in surprise at the scene in front of them. Sideswipe blinked. "Am I actually seeing this?"

"Yep." Sunstreaker shook his head. "Frag…never thought I'd see _that._"

Starscream was pinned to the ground, energon trickling from one wing. Straddling his chest and holding him down was undoubtedly the one they had been looking for…and no wonder Bumblebee had thought it was Mirage. Same colors, same slender Towers build…

But very, very obviously female.

"Wow…" Sideswipe's optics widened. "When did Mirage change from mech to femme?"

"I don't think he did." Sunstreaker kept his voice low. "Look at the optics. She's got green ones. Mirage has gold."

Sideswipe took a hesitant step forward. "She's…pretty."

"Ohhh no you don't!" Sunstreaker grabbed his arm. "You don't know _anything_ about her!"

"I know she…" At the sight of the knife, Sideswipe winced, shocked out of his daze. "…is about to…Hey, wait!"

The femme whirled to look at him, blade still pressed to Starscream's upper chest. Her optics flared dangerously as she growled, "What?"

"You can't…" Sunstreaker had come to the same conclusion as his brother. "We can't let you torture him!"

She only arched one optic ridge before turning back. "Go. This doesn't concern you."

Sideswipe moved toward her rapidly. "Wait!"

In the second that she turned back to glare at him, Starscream twisted and managed to unbalance her. The blade scraped across his upper chest as he took off, wings flailing briefly before he managed to transform and disappear into the sky.

The femme gracefully flipped back onto her feet, engine rumbling with fury. She muttered something under her breath before turning back to the twins. "You. You cost me that Seeker." Sideswipe backed away as she stalked toward them, blade raised.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: Transformers isn't mine, the Huntress (no, that's not her name) and Zenith are. **

**Warnings for this chapter: **Threatened violence and a verbal fight.

_**Peripheral Vision**_

_**Chapter 3**_

The twins stood back-to-back as the strange femme paced slowly toward them, emerald optics glittering coldly.

"I don't appreciate losing my prey," she hissed, circling. They matched her steps, hands ready to reach for weapons if she attacked. Sunstreaker growled.

"What's _with _you? First you try to torture Starscream, now you're going to try to kill us. Are you insane?"

She snarled. "I wouldn't have tortured him! That's Seeker work. His injury was his own slagging fault. I don't kill like that. And you…" She narrowed her optics. "I also don't leave witnesses."

"Oh, great," Sideswipe sighed. "Witnesses to what, anyway? You without the invisibility field?" He could feel his brother's simmering rage over the bond, and tried to calm him down, only to be met with resistance.

"Precisely." She took a cautious step closer, then froze. "Ah, slaggit. Autobots."

"Uh, yes, we're Autobots," Sunstreaker muttered. "Pretty obvious."

Her optics flickered as she studied the Autobot symbol, thoughts racing.

_I was trained. A good assassin leaves no one who could identify her. _

_But Autobots! I don't have a grudge against them. The Seekers are the ones I want._

_If it weren't for them, I would have had him. _

_But that's no crime. They walked in on something bigger than they are. It wasn't their fault. _

_There's one mech who won't like it. No one finds out about us. _

_He doesn't have to know. _

_He would kill them. So should you._

_They know nothing. I can walk away with no harm done._

_Are you crazy? Zenith will be angry. You owe it to his family and your family to make sure the Seekers are gone forever. _

_I won't tell Zenith. These two will be no harm. _

_What if they tell someone else? _

_So what? They'll never find me again. _

_What if they do?_

_Then I deal with it then. They can't hurt me. _

The femme suddenly lowered her knife and stepped away from the Twins. "Get out of here."

Sideswipe blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. Go. I have no quarrel with the Autobots." She subspaced the blade and spun away, starting east at a steady jog. Just before transforming, she called over her shoulder. "I never saw you."

* * *

Back in their quarters on the Ark, Sunstreaker paced nervously. "I _told _you that was a bad idea! Now what? We tell Prime, and we're busted. We don't tell, and she comes after us!"

"You don't know that," Sideswipe snapped. "She said she never saw us. 'No quarrel with Autobots'. She's gonna leave us alone as long as we leave her alone."

Sunstreaker turned on his twin angrily. "Oh, and I suppose _you_ know _that?_ You just want to believe she's an ally because you like her looks!"

Sideswipe bolted to his feet and glared at his brother. "That's ridiculous! Would you stop throwing a fit?"

"Would you shut up and listen?" Sunstreaker yelled. "You almost got us killed because you _had to know_! When are you going to get it through your head that this isn't Cybertron? There's a war going on! She's not your friend, Sideswipe. If it weren't for that red symbol on your chestplate, she'd have killed you! If she could take down a Seeker, she could slagging well take you down! And then what, huh?" He turned his back, growling, "Think about that next time before you play detective!"

"Hey, Sunny…" Sideswipe reached out a hand, which his brother avoided. "I'm sorry! I didn't know that would happen, alright? And I promise, we're not going after her again. She'll pretend she never saw us, and we pretend we never saw her, and everything goes back to the way it was."

Sunstreaker turned back toward the red twin, optics revealing just a hint of fear. "And if she doesn't let it?"

* * *

"I expect more from you, Huntress," the mech snarled from the shadows. "Far more. On this planet for months, and not a single Seeker has fallen. Now you let one escape! Have you lost your passion? Perhaps our loved ones are no longer worth avenging?"

The femme held back her own growl of anger. "Of course they are…sire." She resisted the urge to spit the word. Zenith was a dangerous mech. "I am not accustomed to this planet yet. I – "

Her words were cut off by Zenith's lunge. His claws clamped into her shoulder. "Do not give me excuses, child. We came here with a mission. Do not fail me!"

"I will not." She forced the words out and waited for him to release her, which he did after a long moment. She spun on one pointed heel and left the dark cave, noting the purple optics of the others watching her departure. Vultures, all of them. But it was too late to change things now.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: Transformers isn't mine, the Huntress (no, that's not her name) and Zenith are. **

**Warnings for this chapter: **It's just a build-up, but there's a few Cybertronian swear words.

_**Peripheral Vision**_

_**Chapter 5**_

"…And thankfully, those are the only injuries we have had to deal with." Ratchet completed his report for the week and sat down, glancing at Prowl. The second-in-command stood up and cleared his oral intake, waiting for the go-ahead from Optimus. It came, in the form of a nod, seconds later.

"Thank you, Ratchet. I need to inform all of you that the patrol schedule has been changed due to…recent events."

Sunstreaker elbowed his twin, whispering, "He means 'invisible femmes and the bots that won't stop chasing them'."

Sideswipe elbowed him back, then sat up straight at the glare they were both receiving from Red Alert and responded over the bond. _I already told you that wasn't my fault. _

Prowl, mercifully oblivious to their distraction, was continuing with his explanation. "All patrols will now be in groups of two or more. Your new schedule will be posted on Teletraan-1 for review, but I will announce all changes now, with Optimus's permission."

"Go ahead, Prowl." Optimus's expression didn't change in the slightest.

"Thank you, sir. As of right now, there are eight changes to the full schedule. Jazz will accompany Mirage on the early patrol of the east mountain…"

_So they still think it's Mirage,_ Sunstreaker commented. The spy was sitting at the far end of the room, looking customarily aloof.

Sideswipe shrugged. _No reason not to, unless we say something._

_Should we?_

_Not unless they openly blame him. Don't want to cause trouble._ Sideswipe focused his attention back on Prowl.

"…Trailbreaker will be joining Bumblebee on the city patrol, and Sideswipe will join me on the south plain after dark. Any questions?"

Sideswipe's processor put two and two together, and he jumped up. "Uh, yes! Where was that patrol again?"

"The southern plain area, coordinates G19 through Y11 on the area map," Prowl replied irritably. "You have patrolled it before. Could you please pay attention?"

The red twin slumped back into his chair. "Yes, sir."

Sunstreaker's optics widened. _That's – _

_Where __**she**__ was. I know._ Sideswipe winced. _Don't worry. We avoid her, she avoids us!_

* * *

For her part, the femme had no plans of returning to that area. Autobots were clearly patrolling it, and the farther away she stayed from them, the better – especially with Zenith still so angry that she had failed to kill the Seeker. But as often, she had little choice in the matter.

"Huntress!" The voice grated against the warm afternoon air, echoing from inside the cave system. "Come. I would speak with you."

With a roll of green optics, the femme entered the cave. "Yes, Zenith. I assume you have located another Seeker."

"No." The mech stepped away from the wall and turned to face her, revealing his intense orange optics and the matching detail on his black chassis. "You will find the one you lost."

"What?" The Hunter shook her head in disbelief. "He's long gone. That plane has flown."

Zenith growled low in his throat. "No! He saw you, he must not live. Tonight, you will return to the last place you saw him and pick up the trail."

The Hunter bared her teeth in a rare display of anger. "And if I cannot?"

"You will." Zenith's optics burned with an almost feverish hate. "If you still wish to avenge our families…if you still wish to be one of us…**you will. **And tonight, I will be there to see it."

* * *

Sideswipe followed Prowl uneasily. "Uh…so what are we looking for?"

"Decepticon activity," the 2IC snapped in frustration. "Or anything else potentially hostile. Why do I have to explain this?"

The red Lamborghini sped up so that he was next to the police cruiser. "Just making sure. Um, do I have to follow you the whole time?"

"No, please don't." Prowl's tone indicated he was about ready to hit something. "You head left, I'll head right. Don't lose audio contact."

"Yes, sir." Sideswipe sped away across the field, refusing to think about how easily he could be taken down by an invisible opponent. Out here, in the dark, it wasn't as easy to believe his assurances to Sunstreaker. _What if she really did want us dead…and was just waiting?_

Prowl's voice crackled across the comm line. "Sideswipe, anything?"

"Nope." Sideswipe slowed down to check. "Don't think so."

* * *

The Hunter crouched behind a rock, her long-range sensors easily picking up the two others. "Slag," she cursed under her breath. _Not Seekers. And I have to cross their path to pick up his trail. They'll pick up my signal if I do._

_I know what Zenith would suggest…_

_No._

_But they're in your way!  
_

_So were the Autobots earlier. No._

_You'll have to kill witnesses eventually. Why not start with them?_

_I said NO. _

_Zenith – _

_I don't care! I said no!_

Suddenly one of them was too close for comfort. Any second she would be on his radar.

_Frag._


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: Transformers isn't mine, Mystique and Zenith are. Mystique's name is NOT from the X-Men character, before anyone asks. Also, Prowl's history with Yuss and the Acid Wastes is from the comic "The Magnificent Six". **

**Warnings for this chapter: **A couple of Cybertronian swear words and one use of "damn". Mild violence.

_**Peripheral Vision**_

_**Chapter 6**_

_The femme looks at him, so familiar, holding out her hand. He shakes his head, "What do you want from me?" _

_Her green optics darken and she turns away, stepping back toward the shadows that seem so ready to swallow her. The ground shakes, rocks crumble down around her, and then he knows._

"_Tika! No! NO!"_

Mirage jolted upright, instinctively slapping away the hands on his shoulders. "Get away!"

"Whoa, easy!" Sunstreaker backed off, examining his hand irritably. "I was just trying to wake you up!"

The spy forced himself to calm down, trying to stop the racing of his spark. "Sorry."

Sunstreaker shrugged. "No damage, no problem. What's wrong?"

"Nightmare." _Go away._

The gold warrior didn't notice the curt tone, or if he did, it didn't bother him, as he unsubspaced a small energon cube and held it out. "It's high-grade." At Mirage's dubious look, Sunstreaker grinned. "You look like you need it."

"Uh…okay." Mirage accepted the offered cube and took a few sips. It did clear his processor somewhat. "Thanks."

Sunstreaker sat down on the berth next to him. "You wanna talk about it?"

Mirage glared at the other mech. "No."

"Fine, whatever." Sunstreaker studied a scrape on his arm plating. "Who's Tika?"

"What?" The name sent a pained ache through his spark.

"Tika," Sunstreaker repeated flatly. "You were calling her name in your nightmare. Girlfriend?"

Maybe if he answered the questions, Sunstreaker would leave. "Sister."

"Your sister's name was Windrazor."

Damn him and his memory for others' history. "That was my older sister. Tika was my twin."

Sunstreaker arched one optic ridge in surprise. "Didn't know you had a twin."

"She's dead," Mirage snapped. "And what part of 'I don't want to talk about it' did you miss?"

"Okay, okay." Sunstreaker got up, holding up his hands in surrender. "I get it. Look, Mirage…I'm sorry."

Mirage ignored him, turning away and grabbing a datapad. "Fine. Great. You've still got your twin. Leave me alone."

Sunstreaker sighed and left the room, closing the door carefully behind him. "Oh, that went well," he muttered sarcastically, starting back to his room. "So much for asking _him_ anything."

* * *

Out of time to run, the Hunter made the only other decision she could think of. Activating her cloaking generator, she transformed and sped back around the rock, hoping to cross the field before the mech thought to scan again. It was the perfect plan; or would have been, had she not made one error.

She forgot there was a second mech on the far side of the field.

The femme might be invisible, but she was still as solid as the police cruiser she slammed head-on into. The impact knocked both Cybertronians out of their alt-modes, and sent the femme's invisibility field offline. Her head hit the ground roughly, and the split second she took for her gyros to reboot was too long. A moment later, she was pinned to the ground by a black and white mech, larger and heavier than most of her clanmates.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" he demanded, slamming her wrists against the ground as she struggled to push him off. "Are you the one who attacked Starscream?"

She wrenched her head sideways and bit down hard on his left hand, drawing a yelp and a slight loosening of his grip. One hard kick to the groin later and she was free, jumping to her feet and drawing her knife.

"Oh, great." An oddly familiar voice spoke from behind her, and she spun to see the red Autobot from the day before. He lowered his gun with a groan. "You."

"We meet again." The Hunter tipped her head toward the mech on the ground. "I see my warning had no effect. Are you actively _trying_ to get yourself killed?"

The Autobot shook his head furiously, optics narrowed. "Frag no! This was my patrol route, no thanks to you. Why the slag are you back?"

"Because I had no choice," she hissed. _I don't want to kill you!_

The black and white mech had recovered from her attack and stood up, leveling a gun at her. "Don't move, femme. Sideswipe, what do you know about this?"

"Uh…" 'Sideswipe', if that was his name, looked helplessly at her for a second. "Okay, Prowl. Don't blow a circuit here, but…I ran across her earlier. Yesterday. She's the invisible one."

"So I suspected." Prowl never took his optics off her. The Hunter suspected he would shoot to kill if she attempted to move. "And you failed to report this?"

The femme decided enough was enough. Zenith might arrive any time. "Listen. I do not want to harm either of you, but I am not alone. My companion…does not share my opinion. If you are here when he arrives, and he views you as standing in the way of his mission…" She had seen the results and didn't want to see them again. "I cannot guarantee your safety. If you are searching for Decepticons, I promise you none will be in this area tonight. For your own safety…and mine… please leave."

Sideswipe's optics had softened as she spoke. "What mission? Why is your companion threatening you and us?"

_I said too much. _"Our mission has nothing to do with the Autobots," she repeated firmly. "And he threatens only those he views as obstacles. I am not one, and you don't need to be. Please. I give you my word; I will not tell him you were here if you leave _now._"

Prowl appeared to debate for a moment, then lowered the gun. "I believe you are telling the truth. I also think Sideswipe and I can handle one mech. You'll need to come back to the Ark with us."

"No!" _You don't know who you're dealing with! I know your name from stories…_ "Listen, Prowl. You want information. Fine." She narrowed her optics. "My companion is from the Neutral city Yuss. In the Acid Wastes."

Oh, that got his attention. His optics darkened, and he stared at her intensely. "And you?"

"Do I _look _like I was born there?" the Hunter muttered sarcastically, gesturing to her obviously Towers-sparked frame. "He took me in when my family was killed. He protected me, now I fight with him. That is why I'm so sure you don't want to see him. Now, get lost."

Prowl glared at her for a long moment, then turned. "Sideswipe, let's go."

"What?" The red mech stared as if his commander had lost his mind.

"We'll discuss this with Prime." With that, the police cruiser transformed and sped away, no doubt assuming his companion would follow.

Sideswipe hesitated and looked back at the femme. "What was that all about?"

"Ask him later. He has a history with that particular city."

"Okay." The Autobot didn't move. "So…you lost your family?"

Would he never leave? "Yes," she hissed. "My parents, my sister, my twin. Everyone. Are you happy?"

Horror and sympathy appeared instantly in his wide optics. "You lost a twin? How did you survive?"

"I blocked my bond with him, not that it's any of your business. Now GO!" She narrowed her optics dangerously. "I don't want to kill you."

Sideswipe held out his hand. "One more thing. Just one, then I'll go. What's your name?"

_How long has it been since someone asked me that?_ "They call me…the Hunter," she muttered, scanners on high alert.

"No. Your real name."

_My real name? No one uses that…I don't need to tell him…_Against all rationality, she found herself taking his hand briefly. "Mystique. Now scram."

"Mystique." Sideswipe nodded. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again."

"I hope not. Shoo."


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: Transformers isn't mine, Mystique and Zenith are. The story Sunstreaker tells here is canon, from the comic "The Magnificent Six" again. While it's not necessary to read it to understand this story, I strongly recommend it. **

**Warnings for this chapter: **Some barely-there implications about the jet Zenith destroys. Also, _someone's_ crushing on Mystique… *evil grin*

_**Peripheral Vision**_

_**Chapter 7**_

Zenith's optics glowed with something Mystique couldn't identify as he transformed. "You are _sure_ we are undetected?"

"Absolutely." It had been a long time since she'd deliberately lied – to him, anyway – but as the mech had grown more unstable, so had her confidence in his leadership. The rest of their clan still believed in him, but Mystique saw how obsessive he was over the Seekers and wondered if it was worth it.

"Then the hunt is on." A twisted smile crossed Zenith's faceplate as he gestured to the sky. "And look, one of them is here already."

Mystique's scanners had already identified the jet. "That's not a Seeker. "

"Not one you know?" Zenith smirked and stepped close enough to touch her. She jerked away as he spoke soothingly into her audio. "Trust me. This is simple. Perhaps you have lost your will to avenge, but I will soon find it again. Watch and learn."

He transformed and took off after the jet, leaving Mystique frozen with shock. _That's no Seeker. It's not even sentient. Is he…insane? _

* * *

Sunstreaker woke up when his twin opened the door. Yawning, he sat up and muttered, "See anything?"

"Actually, yes. Two things. Prowl actually backing down to someone other than Optimus, and our femme friend."

"Oh _great_." Sunstreaker slammed one fist against the other. "Are you – "

"I'm fine." Sideswipe dropped onto the bunk across the room with a not-entirely-frustrated sigh. "But I have to ask. The city Yuss, in the Acid Wastes…that mean anything to you? Because I'm drawing a blank."

His twin's shoulders stiffened visibly, and he turned away. "Where did you hear about that?"

"It's what Prowl backed away from. She brought it up. It really got to him. What do you know?" Sideswipe leaned forward hopefully.

Sunstreaker still refused to look at him, muttering, "Remember that first mission I had without you? That's where we went. Me, Prowl, Jazz, Wheeljack, Inferno, and Stampede. I guess you were going to find out eventually."

The red twin remembered, alright, and wished he'd never asked. "That one where you came back…"

"After going through the pit itself when we were captured by Megadeath, yes." Sunstreaker lay back and stared at the ceiling. "From the second mission, you know what happened the first time…the fragger set off a nuclear explosion, forced us to save ourselves – minus Stampede, he killed him - but somehow made it out himself. Tried to pull the same stunt again, but it didn't work out and he's dead. Hopefully for good."

"Right." Sideswipe frowned. "How does Yuss play into that, besides having some really bad memories attached?"

Sunstreaker closed his optics. "Did that femme say she was from Yuss?"

"No, just that someone with her was. It sounds like he was threatening her to keep her with him, and he's apparently got no love for Autobots."

"Slag no he doesn't, not if he was in Yuss," Sunstreaker groaned. "They blamed us for the destruction of the city and turned us over to the 'Cons, but I they bombed the place anyway. Killed most of them, and the nuclear stuff wiped out the rest. This guy must have been lucky enough to get out in time, but…"

"But he's got a vendetta now." Sideswipe realized why the femme had been so desperate to get them to leave. "Of course, if he lived in Yuss and saw what happened, I bet he remembers Prowl…no wonder Mystique was panicky."

* * *

Mystique was, in fact, _still_ concerned, although she would never have described it as panic. Zenith's gunshots had dropped the jet almost immediately, and the way he had grabbed one wing and crushed it as it came down…and it was definitely an _it_, that plane wasn't sentient.

_I have killed, but never like this…only Seekers who deserved everything they got…_

_Zenith knows what he's doing._

_He did once. I don't know what he knows now. _

The black and orange mech smiled disarmingly at her, shaking away a few cables from the plane's wings. "You see? _That_ is what I expect. Now follow me. Tomorrow, you can try again."

She followed numbly. He seemed to have forgotten his anger, for now.

_I don't like this. Something is wrong with him. _

_Maybe time to get out?_

_No, not yet. Where would I go? _

* * *

Sunstreaker opened his optics with a frown. "Who?"

"That's her name." Sideswipe leaned against the wall, picturing her face briefly. "Mystique. She's from the Towers. Lost her entire family, including a twin."

Sunstreaker sat up and swung his legs off the berth. "Wait, back up. Besides the fact that you got all this information and you're obviously crushing on her, that story sounds really familiar and so does the name. Did she say mech or femme twin?"

Sideswipe shrugged. "She didn't, but I'm pretty sure she said 'he'. Mech-femme twin pairs are rare, though."

"Rare enough that we need to talk to Mirage." Sunstreaker grabbed his brother's arm. "I talked to him this evening, you know? Turns out he _also_ lost a twin. His was a femme. He called her 'Tika'."

"Mystique…Tique…Tika." Sideswipe's optics widened. "How the frag did neither of them _know_?"

"Easy. The bond was blocked for some reason, they never found each other, assumed the worst, and never unblocked it." Sunstreaker frowned. "Wait, no, that doesn't work. We were pretty young when the Towers were destroyed, but I remember Mirage being even younger – I doubt anyone would have separated twins at that age, not for long. She couldn't have been far away, and I know they searched everywhere for survivors. They should have found her."

Sideswipe opened the door and started for Mirage's quarters, processor already taking his brother's theory and running with it. "What if they didn't find her because she wasn't there anymore? What if this mech from Yuss took her, but for some reason couldn't check for survivors – "

"Or didn't," Sunstreaker pointed out grimly.

"Yeah, or didn't. And he just took her word that her brother was dead. They were probably too young to know that the odds of just one surviving are pretty slim."

"And we never knew Mirage had a twin – he just said 'sister' – so maybe Mystique didn't tell her caretakers either." Sunstreaker slapped his palm against Mirage's door. "Hey, open up!"

Jazz turned the corner and raised an optic ridge when he saw the twins. "Mirage's in the rec room. What'cha want him for?"

"We've got news." Sideswipe pulled his brother after him, stopping to call back, "Thanks!"


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: Transformers isn't mine, Mystique, Zenith and Wing are. The symbol Mystique wears is actually the Quintesson symbol, which you can find pictures of on the Transformers wiki. The black light element and its association with assassins is my idea. **

**Warnings for this chapter: **Zenith is going crazy. And Sideswipe and Sunstreaker swear a couple of times in Cybertronian.

_**Peripheral Vision**_

_**Chapter 8**_

Mystique crouched in the back of the cave, watching Zenith pace. One of the other scouts – a femme referred to solely as Wing – had returned only a few minutes before, and whatever news she brought had infuriated Zenith beyond words. He was growling and occasionally muttering curses under his breath, slamming his fist repeatedly into his other palm.

Without warning, he turned on her, shouting. "You _idiot! _Have you lost your senses? Do you know how close we came to discovery?"

_Slag, slag, slag…I don't know anything about this. Innocent face…_ "What happened, sire?"

"What happened? What happened?" He leaned in close to the crouching femme. "_Autobots! _Wing found traces of them just _meters _from your tracking location tonight. _How did you miss them? How?_"

"I – I don't know." Mystique struggled to her feet. "I s-saw nothing. Perhaps Wing's scanners – "

"Perhaps _nothing!"_ Zenith grabbed her arm and yanked her into the center of the room. The black lights illuminated the otherwise-invisible symbol on her upper chassis – the mark of a fully trained assassin. "Was I right to doubt you, girl? Are you working with them? A traitor? No longer worthy of the honor of avenging our families?"

"No! No, no, no!" The femme pulled desperately away from Zenith, who she was absolutely convinced was insane. "Wait! I swear, I'm not working with them. But listen, I'll go find them right now. I'll go find the Autobots and make sure they never come near us again. Alright?"

Zenith released her abruptly. "Yes. Go." He turned and staggered toward his chamber. "Kill them…"

She froze. "Do you really want me to do that?"

"Yes…no, no." He didn't turn his head away. "If one of the Autobots who destroyed our home is there…bring him back here, alive."

"Yes, sire." _No. Never. What have you become?_

* * *

Mirage looked up from the datapad that held his patrol routes with a barely-audible sigh as the twins approached. _Now what?_ "Can I help you two?"

"Sort of." Sunstreaker settled into the chair across the table without being asked. Sideswipe did the same. "We have something to tell you."

"Really. I can't wait." Mirage took a sip from his energon cube.

The twins exchanged a look before Sideswipe blurted, "We found your twin sister. She's alive."

The cube hit the floor with a crash as Mirage's jaw dropped. "_What?_"

"Subtle, lunkhead," Sunstreaker grumbled, elbowing his brother hard. "Sorry, Mirage. What he's trying to say is, we ran across a femme who looks like you, shares your cloaking ability, and is named Mystique. We think she – "

"Mystique?" Mirage leaned across the table, gold optics desperately wide. "Blue and white, a fin on the back of her head, and bright green optics?"

"That's her!" Sideswipe nodded. "Your sister?"

"YES!" The younger mech's chair fell over backward as he bolted toward the door. "Where you were patrolling last night?"

"Yeah, but Mirage, WAIT!" Sunstreaker tried to follow him, but tripped on the table and fell against Sideswipe. The twins spent a moment trying to detangle themselves as Mirage disappeared from view. "Slaggit, Sides, move!"

Sideswipe shoved his brother away and scrambled upright, only to run head-on into someone. "Frag you, get out of my – oh, uh, hi, Prowl…"

"Hello." Prowl frowned down at both twins. "I just saw Mirage racing out of the Ark like he was being chased by Sharkticons. Either of you care to explain?"

Sunstreaker picked himself up, glared at Sideswipe, and muttered, "Not right now. Can someone just stop him, please?"

"No." Prowl's optics narrowed. "My office, now. Both of you."

Sideswipe turned toward the door. "But – "

"NOW."

"This is all your fault," Sunstreaker growled as they reluctantly followed Prowl toward the office. "You'd just better hope Mirage _doesn't _find her before we can get out there."


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: Transformers isn't mine, Mystique, Zenith, Wing, and the unnamed mechs are. As is Mirage's ability to track another invisibility projector, which is totally not a Deus ex Machina. **

**Really, it's not.**

**Why are you still reading this?**

**Okay, okay, it sort of is one…but for plot purposes only! **

**Warnings for this chapter: **Not a whole lot, besides the creep-factor rising pretty steadily.

_**Peripheral Vision**_

_**Chapter 9**_

Mirage skidded to a halt and transformed. Yes, that odd feeling was definitely traces of the electromagnetic waves forming an invisibility projector – his own was tingling irritably. The trace was faint, but since it was so unusual, he could probably follow it to the source.

_And find my sister. My sister…_

The grass rustled under his wheels as he followed the slight sense, spark racing with equal parts fear and excitement. _Mystique…please, please, please let this be really happening…_

Ahead of him, dark rock formations rose like the Towers on Cybertron. The young mech was so focused on his search that he didn't see the dull purple optics watching him from a crack in the shadows.

* * *

Prowl tapped his fingers on the desk with a frown. "You are telling me that the femme who threatened us is Mirage's twin sister, that she is apparently working with someone from Yuss, and that Mirage has just rushed off to find her without understanding the danger factor. Do you have any idea how insane you sound?"

"Oh, _I _do," Sunstreaker muttered with a glare in the direction of his brother. "But as weird as this is, we wouldn't have said anything if we weren't absolutely convinced it was the truth."

Sideswipe nodded earnestly. "This isn't a joke, Prowl. It's involving a twin…we wouldn't screw with someone's processor like that."

The 2IC's optics narrowed. "Maybe not. But given the danger this…'Mystique'…poses, why didn't you come to the senior officers first? We could have discussed when and how to inform Mirage, and eliminated the possibility that his twin would injure him without recognizing him."

"She won't," Sunstreaker replied firmly. "I don't care how long the bond has been blocked, a twin would _still _know his or her other half when they saw them. She would never hurt Mirage. It's her 'friend' I'm worried about."

"This companion of hers seems to be threatening her," Sideswipe added. "Definitely threatening the Autobots, but her too."

The entry communicator buzzed as the door opened. Optimus Prime entered with a brief nod to the Twins. "Prowl, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, sir, I did." Prowl quickly summarized what the Twins had told him, ending with, "Mirage seems to have shut down his comlink – understandably, since he believes his sister may be close and wants to ensure that he finds her – so we are not able to call him back. Recommendation?"

Prime considered for a moment. "Sideswipe. Could you find this femme again?"

"Um, probably." The young red mech shrugged. "Just look for a Seeker acting weird, and maybe she'd be in the area. Or check around the last patrol route she was near."

"Alright. Your assignment is to go and find her. Inform her about Mirage, if he has not already found her. Prowl and Sunstreaker, the two of you will go to the last place the femme was seen and attempt to pick up Mirage's trail."

"Great. Femme hunting." Sideswipe grimaced. "Can I ask Hound for help?"

Prowl nodded with a slight grin. "He's waiting for you at the south entrance."

* * *

Mystique raced down the narrow road, east from the place she had seen that first Autobot. The little yellow one had gone back that way. The others would – hopefully anyway – be there.

_Zenith has lost his mind. There's no other explanation. _Her processor kept turning the words over and over. _What went wrong? How did he get so…confused? He was a strong leader once. What broke him?_

Another realization worked its way into her thoughts. _How long has he been like this? Has he been insane for a long time, and I just didn't see it?_

_How long have I been serving under a madman?_

* * *

Mirage transformed cautiously, looking around him. Something was definitely _off_ about this place, and he could no longer pick up the signal from his twin.

_Time to go._

He spun around and came face to face with two Cybertronians, a mech and a femme. The mech – dull red with purple optics – eyed him calmly. "Wing, does he look familiar to you?"

The silver femme's lighter purple optics glowed brightly. "Oh yes. Zenith's going to want to see this one."

Realizing that this was very, very bad, Mirage took a cautious step backward before turning to run. Before he could even attempt an escape, a sleek green mech with a similar body-build to the other two planted a hand on his chestplate and shoved him back. "Going somewhere, pretty-boy?"

Mirage reached for his comlink. Just as his hand touched the switch, an electrical shock stabbed through him, paralyzing his entire frame. He crumpled to the ground, staring up at his captors.

The femme, holding the shock-stick, smiled disarmingly. "Now, then. Let's get him back to base, hmm?"

"Not like that," the green mech snapped. "He's not getting out of here."

To the Autobot's horror, the green mech knelt and snapped some kind of visor over his optics. The world instantly went dark.

The red mech's laugh echoed around the rocks. "Nice thinking. Let's move." A second later, Mirage felt himself slung roughly over a bulky shoulder and carried away, to Primus-knew-where.


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: Transformers isn't mine, Mystique, Zenith, Wing, and Wasp are. Yes, I named Wasp after the Animated character. Don't sue. **

**Warnings for this chapter: **Same as the last one. I promise the action will pick up in the next chapter.

_**Peripheral Vision**_

_**Chapter 10**_

Mystique's sensors, for once, didn't pick up the mech in front of her until it was too late. Still invisible, she crashed head-on into him, both of them stumbling through a transformation and landing in a tangle of arms and legs.

"Owww!" The mech twisted and fought his way free, dumping her onto the ground and knocking the invisibility projector offline. "Mystique? Primus, you have no idea how glad I am to – "

"_Sideswipe?_" Mystique picked herself up and glared down at him. "What are you doing here? Are you – _following_ me?"

"No! No." Sideswipe struggled upright and shook his head. "No way! I'm here about your twin! Mirage, right?"

Her jaw dropped. "W-what? How did you – "

"Look, it's a long story, but he's alive, and – OW!" Sideswipe yelped as she grabbed his shoulders frantically.

"_How_? Tell me!"

* * *

Prowl pointed the scanner between the narrow rocks. "He came this way. Follow me, Sunstreaker, and please stay close."

"Yes sir." Sunstreaker drew his gun and almost ran into the second-in-command's back. He could almost see Prowl's glare, even from behind. "Sorry, sir."

"Nowhere _near_ that close." Prowl stalked away from him irritably.

Sunstreaker edged around one of the rocks, doing his best not to bump into Prowl again and open a comm channel at the same time. "Mirage? Mirage, can you hear me?"

Nothing but static.

* * *

The mech carrying Mirage dumped him roughly to the ground, growling, "Sir, we found this mech on the outskirts of the rocks."

Another voice, masculine but softer than the Autobot's captor, rasped from farther away. "Your point? You know what we do to trespassers."

"All due respect, sir." The mech moved awkwardly, causing a few small rocks to rattle against Mirage's shoulder. Mirage, for his part, was too scared to worry about paint damage. "I think you'll want to see this one."

"Very well." Mirage heard no footsteps, but someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder and flipped him over onto his back. A harsh ventilator intake hissed a few inches above him, and the visor was yanked from Mirage's faceplate. He found himself staring directly into dark orange optics that glowed with shock and absolute hatred.

The mech glared down at him for a long, agonizing moment. Mirage did his best not to break optic contact; the intensity of the stare frightened him more than the threat of whatever these 'bots might do to him, but it also suggested psychosis – which could easily be triggered by almost literally _anything_.

Finally, the black mech rose and turned away. "Wing! Wasp! Take him inside. I will deal with this one _personally_."

The silver femme and the green mech each grabbed one of Mirage's arms, almost wrenching them from the sockets as they dragged him backward. As the light dimmed, Mirage realized he was being taken into a cave. _Slag_. Even if he could turn on his comlink somehow, it would be out of range underground.

* * *

Mystique released her vice-grip on Sideswipe's shoulders with a shaky sound that was _almost _a sob. "Alive. Mirage is alive." Her green optics shuttered as she clenched her fists. "My brother is alive. I am _not_ the last of my family."

"What's wrong?" Her visible distress puzzled Sideswipe; shouldn't she be overjoyed to find out her brother had survived? Had she not wanted to find him alive?

Mystique's jaw tightened as her optics opened. The fury in them was so clear that Sideswipe took a step back. Her voice was a low, steady growl. "He _lied. He lied to me_. He told me they searched and found no one but me. He lied." Her optics narrowed to slits, glowing with rage. "_He left my brother to die._"

Relieved now that he knew her anger wasn't directed at him, Sideswipe asked, "Who? The mech from Yuss?"

"He goes by Zenith." Mystique turned and stalked down the road, back the way she had come. "He told me that I was the only survivor of my family, that I should hate the Seekers for their deaths, that I had a duty to avenge them…and all along he was lying."

"Wait! Where are you going?" Despite their height difference, Sideswipe had to hurry to keep up with her.

Mystique's tone was perfectly, eerily, even. "It's time for Zenith to learn the price of lying to a trained assassin."

"But – shouldn't we find Mirage first?"

The femme stopped in her tracks and spun to face him. "_Find_ Mirage?"

"He went to find you." Sideswipe gestured vaguely in the direction of their first meeting. "We can probably catch up with him if we -"

"_No._" Mystique's optics closed for a second. "Zenith knew there were Autobots there. When did he leave?"

Sideswipe told her, concern tensing every cable.

"It's too late. He will have been captured." Mystique turned back to the road. "I will find him. And if Zenith lays one servo on my brother, I will rip his spark out."

Sideswipe didn't doubt for an instant that she meant it. "I'm coming with you."

"No, you are not. Return to your base and warn your commander – Prime, was it?"

"Prime knows." Sideswipe kept pace with the femme assassin. "Mirage is your brother, but he's my friend. Besides, my brother and Prowl – remember him? – went to find Mirage. We have to stop them too."

Mystique looked at him for a long moment. "You have as much reason to come as I do. But please – be careful."

"I will."

In the distance, the rock formations that marked the Neutral camp darkened as the sun went down. Mystique studied them for a long moment. "I know who will be on guard. Follow my lead. We don't have much time before someone I cannot intimidate takes her place."


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: Transformers isn't mine, Mystique, Zenith, Wing, and Wasp are. Yes, I named Wasp after the Animated character. Don't sue. **

**Warnings for this chapter: **Action time! Zenith is creepy and Mystique is really ticked off.

_**Peripheral Vision**_

_**Chapter 11**_

In the shadows behind the rocks, Wasp and the red mech, Rampage, knelt and watched the two Autobots below. "I remember them," Rampage hissed, the words slightly distorted due to his vocalizer damage. Only someone familiar with him could have heard it. "They were _there_ when Megadeath destroyed our home. We should kill them."

"No." Wasp put a restraining hand on his friend's arm. "Zenith wants them. Don't worry, he'll see that they get what's coming to them."

Rampage chuckled darkly. "Maybe he'll even set his little assassin pet on them."

Wasp raised a green brow ridge. "I thought she ditched us."

"Nah, don't believe it. She'll come back, they always do. Come on." Rampage set his gun to low power. "Let's take them before they get too far."

Sunstreaker never saw the stun bolt coming. He dropped without even a reaction. Prowl spun and raised his weapon, but Wasp hit him from behind, knocking the tactician out cold. "Nice. They're probably not alone. Let's move."

* * *

Wing paced the outer limits of the hidden camp, light purple optics flickering over every rock and shadow. Mystique crouched just out of her line of sight, motioning for Sideswipe to stay down. "She's good, but not the sharpest knife in the set. So here's what we're going to do…"

Moments later, the duo emerged, Mystique holding Sideswipe's wrists behind him and shoving him forward roughly. "Keep going, you."

The silver femme stepped down from her perch, studying both of them clinically. "Didn't think you'd show."

"You thought wrong. Out of my way." Mystique half-pushed, half-tossed Sideswipe past Wing. "I have to see Zenith." She tightened her hold on Sideswipe and kept walking, only to be stopped by Wing's voice.

"Zenith isn't to be disturbed."

Mystique frowned and turned. This had _not _been in the plan. Wing never questioned her. "He'll see me."

Wing shook her head. "He found some of the mechs who destroyed Yuss. He gave strict orders. No one goes in." Her optics narrowed suspiciously. "Why isn't your prisoner cuffed?"

_Slag!_ Sideswipe reached for his gun cautiously. Before he could even get a servo on the grip, Mystique whirled and kicked Wing's legs out from under her, easily knocking the smaller femme off-balance. Before Wing could fall, Mystique snatched her arm, spun her around, and drove her knuckles into the silver femme's jawline. Wing dropped like a stone.

Sideswipe froze, mouth open in astonishment. He'd never seen _anyone _take someone down so fast, or so easily. _If she could teach us…we could win this war. We could… _

"Close your mouth before something flies into it." Mystique pulled on his arm. "We need to hurry. Her replacement could arrive any time, and once he does…well, let's not go there yet. Remember. You're my prisoner until we get into Zenith's cave."

The Autobot obediently let her pull his arms behind him again, but her tone had raised a concern. "When we find Zenith…what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to tell him what I know. Tell him that I'm done." Mystique's tone lowered. "And if he's hurt my twin, may Primus have mercy on his spark, because I won't."

"Mystique…" Sideswipe winced a little at how tight her grip was. For a femme, she was strong. "I can't let you just kill him."

The femme didn't respond for a long moment, guiding him down a narrow trail between the rocks. "I don't know that I _can_ kill him…he trained me. He knows everything I can do and every way to counter it. All I know is that I will not allow him to tear my family apart again."

* * *

Prowl's optics onlined slowly as his systems rebooted. "Uhh…ow. Sunstreaker?"

"Right here," the yellow twin muttered from a few feet away. Like Prowl, he was pinned against the wall of the dark cavern, held in place by some form of magnet. "Yes, I'm fine, no, you were only out for about half an hour, and I think we found Mirage."

The tactician twisted as far as he could, catching a glimpse of Mirage in one corner. Unlike the rest of the cave, the corner was dimly lit, revealing not only Mirage, but a tall black and orange mech holding a small comlink "Who's that?"

"Don't know. He was yelling at Mirage when they dragged us in here." Even though the strange mech appeared to be busy with his conversation, Sunstreaker kept his voice low. "And by the way, I think he's certifiably psycho. Don't tick him off."

"Noted." Despite the awkward angle he had to keep his head at, Prowl kept his optics on Mirage. "Can you contact Mirage?"

Sunstreaker grunted. "No. His comlink's still off."

"Scrap." Prowl fell silent as the strange mech subspaced the comlink and turned back to Mirage. Orange optics blazed with rage as the mech snarled down at the Autobot.

"Who _else _followed you? Why is my guard not answering?"

Mirage gritted his dentas and glared up at the mech. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Where is my sister?"

"YOU HAVE NO SISTER!" the mech screamed, shoving Mirage down onto his knees. "She is _mine_!" A long silver knife, identical to the one Mystique carried, shimmered in one of the mech's hands. "The Autobot scum will not take this from me! They took my home, my family, my people – they will not take my only weapon!" Suddenly, a smile curved across the mech's face, oddly serene despite the madness in his optics. "Not once everything that could pull her away is gone. No. She's _mine_."

The knife swept up, glittering in the dim light…

And went flying across the cave and disappeared into the darkness as Mystique hit him from behind, flipping over his shoulders and landing between the mech and Mirage. Her green optics flashed with rage as her voice lowered into a savage hiss. "_What _do you think you're doing?"


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: Transformers isn't mine, Mystique and Zenith are. **

**Warnings for this chapter: **Pain ensues. Because it's a really, really stupid idea to tick off someone who spent their entire life training to kill.

_**Peripheral Vision**_

_**Chapter 12**_

Zenith's optics darkened as he stared at Mystique, a savage snarl rising in his vocalizer. "Get. Out. Of. My. Way."

She wanted to flinch. She didn't. "What are you_ doing_?" Out of the corner of one optic, she glimpsed red plating. Good. Sideswipe was doing exactly as they had planned. Something else – nothing normal, nothing connected to her external sensors – told her that her brother had taken the opportunity to move out of Zenith's immediate range. And probably hers. _Focus. Don't flinch. He respects strength. Don't flinch. Don't blink. Don't back down. _

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" The sudden scream almost made her step back. Almost. "This has _nothing _to do with you! They are not your family, _I _am your family! These Autobots_ will_ die tonight, and they will _never again _harm our people. _Step aside, Huntress, _or – "

"**No.**"

Zenith froze mid-sentence, speechless for a moment. "…You _dare –_"

Mystique took a slow step forward, forcing her former leader backward. "You **lied **to me. You told me my brother was dead."

"I SAVED YOU!" Zenith's shouting had no effect any more. "Without me, you would have _died_!"

"You **used **me." Mystique took yet another step forward, and another. "You turned me into a **murderer. **Taking **your **revenge. Because you are a **coward.**"

"_STAND DOWN!_"

"**Never. Again.**" Her thin silver knife ejected from its housing in her lower arm and dropped easily into waiting fingers. "**You. Will. Not. Hurt. Them.**"

With a primal scream of rage, Zenith lunged for her throat one-handed, claws extended. "THEN _DIE WITH THEM_, _**TRAITOR**_!"

Mystique swept her unarmed hand up, catching his attack on her armored forearm, and sidestepped away from any effort at grabbing her. Reversing her hold on the knife, she slammed it down like a nail toward his head, only for Zenith to twist away with no effort. _Remember. He taught you. Unpredictable. _She could no longer see Sideswipe, or the other two mechs imprisoned with Mirage. As for her twin, the sense of cuffs on her wrists was gone. Sideswipe had done his job. Time for Mystique to do hers. Time to end this. Her knife swept up and angled toward Zenith's throat as she turned sideways and closed the two steps between them for maximum impact…

And slammed full-on into a punch to the gut that doubled her over, sent the knife clattering to the floor, and almost knocked her down completely. The follow-up blow to the back of the neck dropped her onto her knees, struggling for balance, as Zenith took a step past her. Toward the others. Toward Mirage.

_No. Not my brother. _Whatever pain there had been disappeared as over four million years of close-combat training combined with over four million years of pent-up fury and grief. Mystique was throwing the first blow before she had even regained her footing, and by the time she had, Zenith was on his way down. She grabbed him by the shoulder fins before he could fall all the way, lifted him partway off the ground, and smashed him down onto the stone floor as hard as she could. His optics flared white but didn't go out, not even for a second.

So she repeated the motion. Once. Again. Again. The third time she didn't lift him back up.

Zenith's optics flickered with shock, energon trickling from the corner of his mouth, as Mystique's fingers closed on her second knife, the one in her leg plating. "…Y…you…."

"You shouldn't create monsters." The blade slid free from its housing and rose to the correct angle above the throat. "**You never know when they might turn on you.**"

Zenith didn't respond. He didn't have time before the knife dropped.

Sideswipe stared in mixed amazement and horror as Mystique rose, pulling the knife out of Zenith's throat as she did. Other than the energon streaked across her abdomen plates and her weapon hand – probably Zenith's, since he hadn't had a knife – there wasn't a mark on her. _She just killed a mech and made it look easy. _

The femme didn't even seem to register his staring, or that of Prowl and Sunstreaker, who were obviously having similar reactions. Her optics were fixed on Mirage, and she suddenly looked far younger than any other time Sideswipe had seen her. Her voice, so cold and confident just moments earlier, trembled. ""Raj?"

Mirage, who hadn't made a sound since Mystique had entered the cave, took a tentative step toward her and lifted a hand slightly, almost reaching out to her. "Tika?"

Split seconds later, the twins were locked in each other's arms, Mystique's forehead resting against Mirage's shoulder and Mirage's face pressed against the top of her head. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker both backed off, having had exactly the same thought. _Give them a minute. _

"We should go," Prowl muttered quietly. "It won't take long for the rest of his 'bots to notice what happened."

"Seriously, Prowl?" Sunstreaker glared at him briefly. "They haven't seen each other in how long, exactly? You can let them hug for a few minutes."

"No, he's right." Mystique pulled away from her brother, forcing any pain from the abruptly opened spark-link out of her processor. "There's a back way out. Follow me." She could already hear voices from outside the cavern. At least five, possibly more. "Can everybody run?"


End file.
